Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was represented at the national level by two computer science students who were chosen to be part of the Cisco Live 2022 Dream Team and Cisco Netacad 2023 Super Bowl LVII Dream Team.

James Walker, who was selected in 2022 for the Dream Team, was one of only nine students selected out of thousands from all over the U.S. and Canada.  Cisco Live 2022 Dream Team provided networking support for the Cisco Live Conference held in Las Vegas in April 2022 with more than 15,000 attendees.

Walker, who graduated from MGCCC in 2022, is now working as an IT field engineer with Masonite International.

“I was very fortunate to get to participate in this event,” Walker said. “Cisco chose students, recent alumni, and instructors and offered them the opportunity to learn and assist in helping to build the networking infrastructure at events under the guidance of industry professionals. The event last year took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and during my time there assisted in the installation of the networking equipment at the event. We were also very lucky as to have personal interviews with some industry professionals both with Cisco and external professionals, such as Keith Barker, a trainer at CBT Nuggets. They were kind enough to pass on great advice and knowledge of the industry that I took to heart.”

Clyde Thompson, a current MGCCC student, was chosen in December 2022 to provide networking support for the Super Bowl LVII event and broadcast on February 12.  He was selected out of thousands of students to attend the event in Glendale, Arizona.

Both Walker and Thompson credit MGCCC instructor Dr. James Gruich with their selection for the Cisco events. They agreed that his encouragement and assistance in applying for the positions went a long way toward their selection.

“Dr. Gruich is an outstanding instructor and really knows the ins and outs of applying for these Cisco events, so it helped our chances tremendously,” Walker said.  “I am thankful for the opportunity.”